Vietnam will have between 1,200-1,300 supermarkets and 180commercial centres by 2030, under a master plan approved by the Ministryof Industry and Trade (MoIT).
This marks an increase of585-695 in the number of supermarkets recorded nation-wide in 2011,while the number of commercial centres will go up by 82.
Notsurprisingly, the highest number of both supermarkets and commercialcentres will be located in Hanoi and HCM City.
Theplan targets building a modern network of supermarkets and commercialcentres based on a "logical structure of systems" and distributionchannels with the participation of all economic sectors and types oforganisations.
The development will take place in a competitive environment under the State's macroeconomic management and regulations.
The plan envisages that the network of supermarkets and commercialcentres will become the major retail channel of goods in the domesticmarket.
It expects that the circulation speed of goods is accelerated, and that their price and quality remain stable.
Retail sales via the expanded network are predicted to increase bybetween 26 and 27 percent per year until 2015 and by 29 and 30 percentper year during the 2016-2020 period.
The network would alsoaccount for between 27 and 30 percent of the country's total sales in2015 and for this ration to increase to 43 and 45 percent in 2020.
To realise targets outlined in the plan, relevant agencies will createa favourable investment environment for organisations, individuals andenterprises in different economic sectors, particularly for outlets inremote areas.
The trade ministry's supermarket development planis touted as a "handbook" that retail enterprises can use to designtheir own development plans.-VNA